Anxiety rolled through the depths of her soul, originating from an outside source but finding a resonance within her. It disturbed her sleep, echoed through an emptiness within her soul, yanked open blue eyes with the sudden start of one coming out of a bad dream. A lavender gaze was there to greet her, but there was no happy yip and sway of myriad tails to hail the coming of a new day. No, instead there was a strange darkness, broken by the most peculiar lighting in the mists that no longer wreathed the forest floor.

Blue eyes and lavender eyes turned to watch the wavering pinpoints of light that glowed more like fireflies than stars, the impression reinforced by the fact that they lay beneath the tree canopy and not glimpsed through it. It was only after a few moments that the young mare realized that her long-time watery coomrades were absent... and that was the reason for the empty feeling in her heart. Startled, she plunged to her feet, only the spark of intention racing through her mind keeping little Kaiden from falling underhoof. The kitsune leapt aside, standing beside a nearby tree and watching solemnly as his bonded sought about for any trace of the watery fox or ferrets that had kept her silent company for more seasons than he'd been alive. It was only when she came to a standstill, feeling lost and confused, that he padded back to sit at her hooves, warm furry body pressing against her fetlocks. It was he that noticed the stirring of the nearby siblings, pale gaze tracking the painted figure of Aaron and the ghostly pale forms of the young twins. He paid little heed to the twin-winged mare, not knowing her and barely associating her with his mare's close friend.

From his awareness did the young mare's attention turn, watching Aaron and his sisters rouse themselves and head off toward... a light? Just one fire? What time was it anyway? By common consent did mare and kitsune trail after the small family of siblings, falling in behind Azale at a bit of a distance. Wondering eyes drifted ahead to find her mother and her sister, the latter of which was aflame with the light of her sire. What was going on? Why had the Earth God's gift left her? Silently they slid up to stand beside Aaron, pausing briefly to greet Sakura and Takara with gentle murmurs and light touches, a polite smile and foxy grin being tossed Azale's way to make all fair, before the young grulla pressed in against her friend's side, her kitsune plopping down beside Alanna and wrapping himself in his numerous tails to preserve heat.

Silently they listened when Mirage came and spoke, setting Israfel a task and assigning it to Zaffre too. Well wasn't that interesting? Little sister finally gets an adventure to take her places, and Mother's dragon gets to go along? There was a moment where Kimber and Kaiden contemplated volunteering, the idea passing back and forth between them in a series of idealized images and emotions. But then Kaiden brought up Aaron and Alanna, the thought coming in an image of the pair standing together, and it was quickly agreed that they had enough to deal with helping him. He'd just gone from idolized older brother to caretaker of three younger sisters of varying capabilities, and neither mare nor kitsune were inclined to leaving him alone with the task.